Jets make star winger available and Maple Leafs should inquire
The Winnipeg Jets are officially confirmed to be shopping star winger Nikolaj Ehlers, and the Maple Leafs should be interested if they're looking for a change.
Like the Leafs, the Jets are coming off an extremely disappointing playoff performance, losing in the first round against the Avalanche 4-1. Also similar to the Leafs, the Jets are looking to make changes to their existing core.
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Leafs GM Brad Treliving should put in a call to Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff if Ehlers truly is available. There are a few reasons.
Number one, he's a great all around player who has topped the 20 goal mark a staggering 7 times. The second reason is that he has a modest cap hit of $6 Million for the 2024-25 season.
Earlier on in Ehlers' career, many compared the former 9th overall pick in the 2014 draft to the former 8th pick in that same draft, William Nylander. While Nylander has definitely surpassed him, Ehlers is a great top 6 option that has proven he can produce year after year.
The Leafs are set to offload some cap space this summer having a copious amount of UFA's, making Ehlers a valuable option if a trade can work out here. Also if the Leafs do decide to move on from superstar Mitch Marner and his almost 11 Million dollar contract, Ehlers would be a good option to replace him in the top six, and with his lower cap hit, the Leafs would have an additional ~$5M to play with.
A major shake up seems to be on the horizon for both the Jets and Leafs organizations. Could they swing a trade with one another? Time will tell.
| POLL | ||
MAI 15 | 428 ANSWERS Jets make star winger available and Maple Leafs should inquire Would Nikolaj Ehlers be a good fit for the Leafs? | ||
| Yes | 264 | 61.7 % |
| No | 164 | 38.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
